I have been going to a salon prior to our SXM visit for 20 years. BUT, let me qualify that.

1. The medical advice about tanning is another instance of exaggerated, one-size-fits-all medical admonitions. Some people are very sensititve to sunlight and others are less so. They really know very little why that is so. Like the advice to cut down on salt intake, they tell everybody to do so, when--in fact--fewer than 15 percent of the population suffer from high blood pressure as a result of excess consumption of salt. Likewise, they tell everyone to avoid the sun even though it has little or no effect on the vast majority of people. (I should clarify that I am not referring to the kind of compulsive tanning that turns some people the color of chestnuts.)

It appears that I am one of those people.

2. For many years I suffered from boils on the back of my neck and on my shoulders, especially during winter. Among the treatments my M.D. dermatologist used was UV light. Since he was a friend, he told me to go to a tanning salon once a week or two instead of coming to his office, as it would be much less expensive. I have been doing so for about 30 years. No more boils. Conclusion: One size does not fit all.

Since I am already going once a week or so, starting six or seven weeks before we leave for SXM in February, I gradually increase the number of visits per week until the week before we depart, when I go every day. Easy does it.

So I have already built up a bit of a tan before we arrive. but even so we limit our exposure the first couple of days. The sun is a lot stronger than most people realize. Following this course I have never experienced anything close to a burn during our trips to SXM.